Skill and Independence Showcased at Musical Empowerment Fall Recital

December 5, 2016

On Sunday, November 20, 2016, Musical Empowerment at UNC-Chapel Hill hosted its annual fall recital at University United Methodist Church with over 70 student-teacher performances.

A diverse group of new and returning students and teachers performed for family, friends and community members. The talent pool was so large that the students were split into three separate rooms for performances, based on age and skill-level. Everyone joined together at the end of the performances for photos, refreshments and fellowship.

Six-time recital-veteran and sophomore at Chapel Hill High School Elodie said she was proud of her performance in the fall recital. During the recital, she confidently introduced her piece, “Dancing Through Life”, on flute without accompaniment, playing her piece completely by herself.

“I didn’t have a problem playing the piece alone because I practiced it so many times at lessons and knew it so well. I think I did a good job,” said Elodie.

Irene, Elodie’s younger sister and an eighth-grader at Smith Middle School, said she had a similar experience. Her piano teacher Katie was unable to attend but Irene proved her independence by playing “Persian Market” and “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” by herself.

“Katie is like a big sister to me. I can tell her about any problems I have that may not even be related to music and she gives me advice… I feel like I learned enough from her to [perform] by myself,” said Irene.

Irene said lessons leading up to the recital were enjoyable because she was eager to perform her best.

Elodie and Irene’s mother Berthe Mairounga said recitals are a unique experience because she is able to see all of her children perform together on the same day and this brings her immense happiness.

“Seeing my children improve at their instruments is one of the greatest joys,” Mairounga said.

Querli (pronounced “curly”), whose feature story you can read here, performed “Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri at the recital. This was her first time performing alongside her fall semester teacher Tim Davis while Elizabeth Raby, her regular teacher, was studying abroad in Europe. Watch the video of her performance below.